Our last piece made reference to the costs inherent in veterinary care, which play an especially powerful role when there is no insurance coverage (as is the case for a large majority of U.S. pets). The burden of these fees, borne solely by the pet owner, is the origin of a concept known as “spectrum of care”. Simply put, it’s the idea that a particular illness might be addressed in multiple ways, each of which would incur a different total cost. These different routes of care might be named Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.
Plan A may be the most expensive, but it also offers the safest path forward when there is uncertainty about the diagnosis or the severity of the condition. Plan A might include referral to a specialist for intricate diagnostic procedures or to a boarded surgeon for more delicate operations. Many pet owners want Plan A because they are seeking that extra confidence and are prepared to pay the fees that go with it. Plan A may utilize treatments that have a nearly perfect side effect profile (i.e., virtually no chance of untoward effects). Plan A might involve sequential evaluations to ensure your pet is on the right path or to precisely foresee the anticipated course of their condition. Please know that Plan A does not guarantee a successful outcome, because nothing in medicine can ever boast such a guarantee.
Plan B, when defined solely by cost, is more affordable for the average pet owner. It might not involve any specialist referrals or cutting-edge therapies. It might require the use of a less expensive drug that doesn’t have a totally perfect side effect profile. It might call for a surgeon that performs this procedure only twice a year instead of twice a week. We might have to move forward with treatment in the absence of that confirmatory test and with a little less certainty about the future. Many pet owners choose Plan B because it seems a more “sensible” use of their funds, understanding that everyone has their own unique opinion on what is sensible.
Plan C is what we’ll move to when we’re a bit desperate, when we’re faced with a patient that might be able to recover but needs to do it on the smallest budget possible. Plan C is always more of a gamble, but it allows full access to your veterinarian’s very best effort and a few meticulously selected treatments. Maybe we have to spread out our testing over a course of weeks, or even a month or two, as needed to fit the owner’s budget. Maybe we have to attempt treatment based on just a single physical exam and the narrative that the pet owner was able to provide. That’s nerve-wracking, not ideal, but every pet and pet owner deserves a chance at success if it is even remotely possible to succeed.
Your veterinarian is familiar with the idea of limited funds. If the two of you have an open line of communication, he or she can work alongside you to stay within the boundaries you’ve set while still offering your pet the maximum chance to recover and be well.
Dr. M.S. Regan